1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system, and program for mapping and communicating data from a user interface to an application program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many applications that operate in a network environment are constructed as two-tier client-server applications, characterized by a constant connection from the client to the application. The front end to such applications operating in the client-server environment may be written using a fourth generation programming language (“4GL”), which is commonly used for basic user interfaces for clients accessing business applications in a client-server environment. Such basic user interfaces written using the 4GL language contain variables that are understood directly by the application.
In the current art, many users are accustomed to using the ubiquitous web browser user interface that communicates with a web server using a stateless network protocol, such as the Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP). However, such web browser interfaces are not compatible with the framework of an application program operating according to the client-server paradigm.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved techniques to provide a user interface to application programs.